


Tinkering with Flowers

by Estirose



Series: Singing Off Beat [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:48:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24236803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Estirose/pseuds/Estirose
Summary: Gao Yen'ei smiles because she doesn't want Tian Lian to cry.
Series: Singing Off Beat [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1928344
Comments: 3
Kudos: 1





	Tinkering with Flowers

**Author's Note:**

> I was very affected by episode 20 of "Youth with you 2" because one of my favorite trainees was eliminated. This was my way of processing things/ doing a slight fix-it. Fans of the program can probably tell which trainees these characters are loosely based off of, but I've given the characters here slightly different traits to differentiate them.
> 
> I've done my best with Chinese culture and finding good but fictional names for the trainees, but if I've goofed up, I apologize in advance.

Gao Yen'ei walked quickly out of the room. She didn't want to see Tian Lian crying; she wasn't sure she could cope. Around her, others were embracing; she could see Zao Shile and Bai Shuling, her teammates on the last two competitive songs, crying together while their teammates tried to comfort them. Long Xiangling was being hugged by Li Bo.

"Gao Yen'ei, wait!" Cui Meiying called, but Yen'ei just rushed out of the room. She respected Cui Meiying so much and the other woman so deserved her number one position, but if she stopped to say goodbye and congratulate her she'd definitely break down crying and then Lian would definitely really start crying, and that would break Yen'ei's heart.

Yen'ei managed to dash around a corner, out of view of the cameras and out of easy sight before breaking down in tears. Tian Lian was a big sister to her, having far more experience singing, and had taken Yen'ei under her wing when Yen'ei started with their group. Yen'ei wanted Lian to keep going, and she couldn't keep going if she knew how heartbroken Yen'ei was.

Someone sat down beside her. Yen'ei hoped it wasn't Lian. Hopefully a staff member. They'd all been so kind and helpful. She looked up, and it was Cui Meiying. The other girl reached out and gave her a hug. "It's okay to cry."

Cui Meiying should have been out there, accepting congratulations for her accomplishments, not holding Yen'ei as if Yen'ei was more important than anything else in the world. But she was. They'd never been in the same singing group and had mostly bonded over being boyish looking girls in a competition where most of the girls had long hair and were very feminine. 

So Yen'ei did, letting her tears flow. Cui Meiying held her until she could actually breathe.

"I had to be strong for Tian Lian," Yen'ei managed. "I'm so worried for her. I want her to be her best." Tian Lian was good and Yen'ei would be so happy if she won. "I... she... she's my older sister...."

"I know." Cui Meiying let her go, and Yen'ei looked up. Cui Meiying gave her a gentle smile. "I think she'd be better if you told her how you felt."

Maybe she could, now. Smile through her tears, be there for Tian Lian the way that Lian had always been there for her. Cheer her up, making this departure as happy as she could make it. 

Cui Meiying took her hand and they walked back into the room. A lot of the other competitors were leaving in clumps of crying girls so the room was clearing out. Tian Lian was sitting in one of the chairs, still crying. Everybody seemed to be giving her some space.

In fact, Yen'ei realized that they were the only ones left in the room apart from Long Xiangling, Li Bo, and the staff. Long Xiangling and Li Bo were so busy crying with each other that they didn't even notice that Yen'ei, Cui Meiying, and Tian Lian were in the room.

"Hey," Yen'ei said, settling down in the chair next to Tian Lian. Cui Meiying sat down next to her, as if giving her support. "Your face is so red! Stop crying."

Tian Lian looked up. She scowled at Yen'ei's words, as if she realized why Yen'ei was saying what she was saying. Or maybe she didn't. Yen'ei wasn't always good with social stuff. Yen'ei looked over at Cui Meiying, who seemed amused. 

"Stop it," Lian said, swatting at her. Her eyes were red and Yen'ei desperately wanted to hug her until her tears went away. But she still had to be strong for Lian. She had to be the jokester, the person laughed at even as she cried, because it would make her departure so much easier. 

"I'll be fine," Yen'ei said. "Don't worry about me. I'm glad I came and I'm glad you were here with me. Now I can go back and we can work on our next album."

"I can write a song for you," Cui Meiying offered, in her gentle voice. 

Lian, still crying, gave Cui Meiying a grateful nod. It meant as much to Lian as it did to her, Yen'ei knew. Even if it was something they would never be able to put in an album, it was touching.

"I wanted you here with me," Lian said softly, so that the mikes wouldn't pick it up. "I wanted us both in the finals." 

But they had both known Yen'ei wasn't good enough. Yen'ei had kept going, kept trying, because she was stubborn and she knew it, but there had been always the nagging feeling that she wasn't going to be in the finals.

And now she wasn't, and in some ways it was a relief.

"Yeah, well now I'm not." She was still smiling, though it was forced. She wanted everybody to be happy.

"You doofus." She could see what Lian was thinking. If they'd only worked harder together, if Lian had only trained with her more, maybe she'd have made the 20th spot. Maybe she wouldn't be going home.

Yen'ei enveloped her in a hug. "Win for me, all right?"

Lian was still crying. Yen'ei held her like Cui Meiying had held her, until the tears stopped. She gave Cui Meiying a smile. The other girl smiled back. 

"I think someone else needs a hug," she told Cui Meiying, and Cui Meiying nodded, going off to comfort Long Xiangling and Li Bo.

Taking Tian Lian's hand, they walked off the stage together, one last time.


End file.
